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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-03-17 Daily Xml
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Emergency Services Disaster Planning

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (15:07): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the minister representing the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion regarding emergency services and disaster planning and management.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: Following the Adelaide Hills bushfire events, Dignity for Disability held a public meeting to discuss ways in which emergency services and broadcasts could be made more accessible to people with disabilities and the deaf community. The vulnerability of elderly people and people who are culturally or linguistically diverse was also raised. One idea that was repeatedly raised with me was the need for a system under which people with disabilities could be contacted in case they required assistance. This concept seems similar to the Telecross REDi program run by the Department of Communities and Social Inclusion to help ensure the safety of people who could be particularly at risk during a heatwave.

The Telecross REDi program is a program under which Red Cross volunteers call preregistered clients up to three times a day to check on their wellbeing during a heatwave. The callers ask people how they are coping and remind clients of important measures to assist them through the extreme weather. I understand that if a call goes unanswered, an emergency procedure is activated to ensure the wellbeing of the client. I also note that a recent article by New South Wales academic Michelle Villeneuve points out that people with disabilities are two to four times more likely to be killed or injured in disasters than our nondisabled peers. My questions to the minister are:

1. Is the minister aware of the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction that is occurring in Sendai, Japan from 14 to 18 March this year?

2. Is the minister aware that people with a disability are two to four times more likely to be injured or killed in natural disasters compared to the rest of the population?

3. Could the minister please implement a program of notification and communication similar to Telecross REDi in events such as fire or flood, as well as heatwave?

4. Is the minister aware of any other programs in South Australia or interstate which could be adapted to address this issue?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:09): I thank the honourable member for her most important questions on the matter of emergency services disaster management. I undertake to take those questions to the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion in the other place and seek a response on her behalf. But, just dredging from memory, I understand that the Red Cross service that the honourable member talked about in her brief explanation is open to all vulnerable persons who may be listed by either themselves or their family or support organisations in the community who want them listed, so I do not think that it is particularly delineated in any way who can be on that list.

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